# Stacking cigars?



## GeauxTigers (Mar 4, 2013)

So I have a 50 count humidor that I have about 40 cigars packed into. They just came from cbid and then spent a few days in the freezer. About 12 hours in the fridge and then into the Humidor. It is a cheap humi - but I think I lucked out as it held rh steady for about two months with non-frozen cigars in it. My cigars are stack on top of eachother about four rows deep.

Any who - I moved the humidor last night because it was getting too warm — when I did the cigars all shifted around a bit and then the rh jump up from 65% to 71% in the matter of a minute. So I am guessing that stacking your cigars and packing them into the humidor is not a great idea.... and that it traps humidity in the bottom row of cigars that was released when they shifted about as I moved it...??? Sound normal? Should I be doing anything special -- or be taking saving maneuvers? Thanks.


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## B-daddy (Oct 29, 2012)

Tight stacking bad. Air circulation good. Regardless you ok.


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## Maluther45 (Feb 20, 2013)

I'd just rotate the ones on bottom to the top every once in a while. I don't imagine it would hurt anything.


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## OldSkoolTarHeel (Nov 28, 2012)

B-daddy said:


> Tight stacking bad. Air circulation good. Regardless you ok.


I couldn't help but read this in my head with Mr Miyagi's voice. While also picturing those Confucius say memes.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

B-daddy said:


> Tight stacking bad. Air circulation good. Regardless you ok.


Elaborate on tight stacking please........

The way the OP describes his humidor, his sticks should be just fine.


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## huskers (Oct 2, 2012)

GeauxTigers said:


> So I have a 50 count humidor that I have about 40 cigars packed into. They just came from cbid and then spent a few days in the freezer. About 12 hours in the fridge and then into the Humidor. It is a cheap humi - but I think I lucked out as it held rh steady for about two months with non-frozen cigars in it. My cigars are stack on top of eachother about four rows deep.
> 
> Any who - I moved the humidor last night because it was getting too warm - when I did the cigars all shifted around a bit and then the rh jump up from 65% to 71% in the matter of a minute. So I am guessing that stacking your cigars and packing them into the humidor is not a great idea.... and that it traps humidity in the bottom row of cigars that was released when they shifted about as I moved it...??? Sound normal? Should I be doing anything special -- or be taking saving maneuvers? Thanks.


your cigars on the bottom should have the same RH as the ones on top.........Givven a week or two in your humidor, everything will equalize.


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## synergy012 (Mar 5, 2013)

B-daddy said:


> Tight stacking bad. Air circulation good. Regardless you ok.


Seems like a number of BOTL are having trouble with this issue. If the air can't circulate you are going to have pockets of higher and lower humidity. I usually try to arrange them one directly on top of the other instead of 8-9-8 style to provide channels for air airflow. You sacrifice some space but I think it's better.


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## ACasazza (Mar 23, 2013)

Try stacking them log cabin style (cross hatched) I know it takes up more room but I have heard it helps circulation.


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## cigarmax (Feb 23, 2011)

OldSkoolTarHeel said:


> I couldn't help but read this in my head with Mr Miyagi's voice. While also picturing those Confucius say memes.


Confusius say " Nube with new humidor have silly worries.":jaw:


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## B-daddy (Oct 29, 2012)

huskers said:


> Elaborate on tight stacking please........
> 
> The way the OP describes his humidor, his sticks should be just fine.


Cigars stacked directly on top of eachother without room for air to circulate within/around the sticks have less surface area exposed to air. They will release humidity slower (particularly true for sticks that come in wet from online orders). Also, most of the "50-count" humis that I've seen are really sized to hold about 30 cigars, so might be pretty tight. Just providing an explaination of why he saw the change in rh.

All-in-all though, he's fine. (Hence the "regardless, you ok" comment.) Heck, it only jumped to 71. Move the sticks around a bit and they'll get back to equillibrium pretty quick.


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## GeauxTigers (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks all for the 411 -- It is appreciated.


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## K Baz (Mar 2, 2007)

Look at a cuban cabinet box of 50 packed tight in a "wheel" no issues with these cigars being stored for decades. No rotating the cigars no crazy restacking.

Same thing with a regular box stacked tight...

Some would say air circulation is not desirable your RH will equal out but it needs time a watched humidor is never good


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## Engineer99 (Aug 4, 2011)

I think you might be obsessively overthinking it a little, something we're all guilty of at some point. As long as you have stable humidifying media, a correctly calibrated hygrometer, and storage with a good seal, it doesn't make a difference how you place your cigars. Some higher end humidors, like Waxingmoons, have a lattice on the bottom to provide air flow underneath the bottom layer, which is nice, but not totally necessary. Cigars have been stored in the same way for over a century without problem, so I personally don't sweat it.


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## A.McSmoke (Jan 9, 2013)

Engineer99 said:


> I think you might be obsessively overthinking it a little, something we're all guilty of at some point. Some higher end humidors, like Waxingmoons, have a lattice on the bottom to provide air flow underneath the bottom layer, which is nice, but not totally necessary. Cigars have been stored in the same way for over a century without problem, so I personally don't sweat it.


I agree, you should be fine, but you don't want to add more. You're straddling the fence @ 80% capacity. You can add the aeration grate that Engineer99 referred to to help circulation a bit. If you have the know how, make one yourself, or buy one:

https://www.cigarextras.com/product/Spanish-Cedar-Wood-Circulation-Grate-for-your-Cigar-Humidor-463600/Humidors-Humidor_Organization

View attachment 76476


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## chargerfan (Jul 9, 2010)

I vids cross stack mine. One row lengthwise on the next.


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## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Craig it just takes time for the RH to settle out, remember you're talking about the entire volume of space being the same RH likely the sticks had a high RH in the first place just give them time to reach the same ambient rh the process can take weeks if not months for the sticks to reach the same RH value.


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## chargerfan (Jul 9, 2010)

kra961 said:


> Craig it just takes time for the RH to settle out, remember you're talking about the entire volume of space being the same RH likely the sticks had a high RH in the first place just give them time to reach the same ambient rh the process can take weeks if not months for the sticks to reach the same RH value.


Sounds so easy, but not so much for us "patience challenged" folk...


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## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Ya we've all been down that road, it's a slippery slope I started with a few now I plan ahead to let them rest LOL GF has been asking why do you need two coolidors again please remind me.


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## thebigk (Jan 16, 2013)

I have had cigars at the bottom for long periods of time and the only problem is they are not round they are more oval so I think the issue is weight more then air flow just my 2 cents


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## TJB (Dec 10, 2012)

Confuscious say: "40 cigars smoke to quick too worry."


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

Your rh jumped because the temp changed from one location to the other. From warm to cold or cold to warm. Not because your cigars shifted inside. No issue. 

Your humidity device and cigars should equalize the rh to your previous settings.

A humidor is a relatively small environment. Differences in rh from 1 corner to another is virtually non existent. The corner where the humidity device is located may bounce back faster. But the time difference of rh equalization from one corner to another is just a blink in Cigar Time. Nothing to split hairs about.

As for the cigar closer to the rh device being more wet, this is true for rh media that only release humidity and overly saturated KL and Beads. I must say that Boveda does not seem to suffer from this.

As for stacking. You don't want them to be too tight. This should be done to preserve the shape of the cigars rather than circulation. Too tight and they may take on a more oval or boxy shape. A longer cigar can acquire a "bent shape" when placed on top of a shorter cigar for a long period of time. Air circulation is a far second reason.

I must admit though. Its a sickly weird kind of fun to worry about our stash all the time. Something that I too am guilty of.


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## B-daddy (Oct 29, 2012)

Cigar Guru said:


> Your rh jumped because the temp changed from one location to the other. From warm to cold or cold to warm. Not because your cigars shifted inside. No issue. ...


Son of a gun, you're right. I totally missed that he moved the humidor because it was getting too warm. The relative humidity will go up if the temperature is lowered. So, if he moved it to a cooler spot (particularly if he opend the box to check out the cigars that had shifted around), the rh could change pretty quickly. You so smart.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

> A humidor is a relatively small environment. Differences in rh from 1 corner to another is virtually non existent. The corner where the humidity device is located may bounce back faster. But the time difference of rh equalization from one corner to another is just a blink in Cigar Time. Nothing to split hairs about.


That is assuming a desktop humidor only and a smaller one at that. Absolutes are not really the be all & and end all of any discussion. Humidors have been known to span thousands of square feet.

You are correct on the temp change theory though methinks.



> As for the cigar closer to the rh device being more wet, this is true for rh media that only release humidity and overly saturated KL and Beads. I must say that Boveda does not seem to suffer from this.


You are suggesting that the OP oversaturated his beads? Seems to be the case from where I'm sitting.


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## GeauxTigers (Mar 4, 2013)

Cigar Guru said:


> Your rh jumped because the temp changed from one location to the other. From warm to cold or cold to warm. Not because your cigars shifted inside. No issue.


Sorry - did not explain this well enough... but I mean the rh jumped instantly. I have a glass-top humi, and by the time I walked it to its new location the rh jumped. Temp had not yet changed in the humi. Since then, I have left it alone, and just looked this morning and it is sitting back at 63% now. I'll wait a week or so and check again.


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## GeauxTigers (Mar 4, 2013)

kra961 said:


> Craig it just takes time for the RH to settle out, remember you're talking about the entire volume of space being the same RH likely the sticks had a high RH in the first place just give them time to reach the same ambient rh the process can take weeks if not months for the sticks to reach the same RH value.


Yeah - I am starting to get this idea of time... but how do we know when all the cigars are stable at a good rh? If the air rh is 63% and stable - does that mean that the cigars on the bottom are 63%? And for that matter, does it mean that any of the cigars are 63% to the core? Is there a rule on how to know when they are at the right rh, and ready to be sent up as a burnt offering?

Thanks all for the continued info.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

Tashaz. This is especially true to walk in humidors or really large ones. Wet spots and dry spots. But one uses the proper (or extra) amount of rh device, All corners will virtually balance out, Provided that the storage does not get disturbed frequently.

GeauxTigers. It could still be the case. Temp and rh are very finicky. They react to the slightest change. How long did it take for you to walk your humi from one place to another? The micro environment in your humi is even more sensitive because of the glass top. As for the lower cigars not having your same perfect humidity as the ones on top, point zero something (.? or .0?, or point .???) is hardly anything to lose sleep on. Even 5% points of a difference (though impossible for desktops) is of little concern. Relax brother and enjoy your cigars. They will be fine.

BUT. Only you can decide. Might I suggest that you have a 2 or 3 cigar night. Get someone to pick one from the top, middle, and bottom of your humi (ideally the same vitola/brand cigars) and have them remove the band. IF YOU CAN TASTE A DIFFERENCE, you should get a high paying job as a Quality Control Taster from some of the large food companies. Because you may be one of the rare humans that can be called SUPER TASTERS.

Cheers.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

B-daddy said:


> Son of a gun, you're right. I totally missed that he moved the humidor because it was getting too warm. The relative humidity will go up if the temperature is lowered. So, if he moved it to a cooler spot (particularly if he opend the box to check out the cigars that had shifted around), the rh could change pretty quickly. You so smart.


You might have been having a hell of a damn fine cigar for you to have missed that one. You were enjoying your cigar too much brother LOL.


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## jco3rd (Apr 1, 2013)

A very timely post since I just basically just filled my tupperdore lol. Most of them were bundles, so I settled on just removing the cigars from the cello that made the bundle, but left the cigars in the individual wrappers. Then I basically just stack them loosely. So far there haven't been wild swings in RH, so I should be fine. I'm looking forward to any other input you guys may have on this subject!


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

Being that the cigars are round, I find that even stacking them allows air flow. I guess unless you are stacking solely box pressed sticks, this shouldn't  be an issue. At least it hasn't for me.


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## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Craig there really is no set time the thing to remember each stick has its own density and that density will determine how long it takes. It's funny you'll start finding sticks that burn great for the first third and all of the sudden they go screwy in the middle you get past that and they start burning good again the middle RH was still not correct 

I've found in my experience takes months for some (most) sticks to reach the same RH value remember this is just the RH we are talking about we haven't even started talking about aging yet.

Aging takes much longer I'm finally reaching a year on most of my sticks and now they are really tasting good the flavors are coming out the burns are consistent my enjoyment of them has increased a great deal with far far fewer rejects even some of the lower quality sticks are turning out to be pretty good not great mind you but far better then they were. My advise would be to start trying to find the sticks you really enjoy you'll find your tastes will start changing where you like mild at first will start changing to med to full I've narrowed my selection down to 5 with 4 others that are just to damn expensive to buy a lot of. Take your time and make wise choices.

The thing with this hobby is that its a long term endeavor time in this case is your friend PITA that it is.


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## Cigar Guru (Dec 22, 2012)

kra961 said:


> Craig there really is no set time the thing to remember each stick has its own density and that density will determine how long it takes. It's funny you'll start finding sticks that burn great for the first third and all of the sudden they go screwy in the middle you get past that and they start burning good again the middle RH was still not correct
> 
> I've found in my experience takes months for some (most) sticks to reach the same RH value remember this is just the RH we are talking about we haven't even started talking about aging yet.
> 
> ...


Totally Agree


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## GeauxTigers (Mar 4, 2013)

kra961 said:


> Craig there really is no set time the thing to remember each stick has its own density and that density will determine how long it takes. It's funny you'll start finding sticks that burn great for the first third and all of the sudden they go screwy in the middle you get past that and they start burning good again the middle RH was still not correct
> 
> I've found in my experience takes months for some (most) sticks to reach the same RH value remember this is just the RH we are talking about we haven't even started talking about aging yet.
> 
> ...


Good info - Thanks.

I suppose as you get experience, you can tell if a cigar is at a good point to smoke just by feeling them.

Right now, I am struggling with the cheap humidor and maxing out its capacity. With a 69% boveda pack in there it dropped to 57% -- so I went to add the Humi Care blue balls, and smelled them before I put them in, and got a mildewy smell - so figured forget that.... added some distilled water in a shot glass - and the humidly jumped to 73% overnight.... ARGH!

I have a couple more boveda 65% packs being shipped, but I am pretty sure the biggest problem is the cheap small humidor. I also have a tupidor that is staying around 69% rh - but I have no cedar in it and no humidifier. Not sure how long that can last...

Need to make a decision on a real humidor/winador. Think I am leaning toward the vinotemp direction.... but want to make sure before I pull the trigger. So many things to be thought thru... Anybody want to come just get me set up with a way that I only have to check-in on the cigars when I go to smoke them - and they are always ready for smoking?:bowl:


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## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Craig I went the Cheap simple and fool proof route and am very pleased with the results 2-150q igloo coolidors one for sticks and one for boxes both have 2 pounds of Beads that hold a rock steady RH of 65%, both are geared towards a long term aging. One has 16 cedar drawers the other just wire shelving.

About the only way I've found to tell if batch of sticks is settled at the correct RH is to burn one and see how it tastes and smokes....I like that part.


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## RSTAD (Jan 3, 2013)

I stack my cigars like jenga, this gets all of them humidified easily (it does take up a bit more space though)


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## jco3rd (Apr 1, 2013)

RSTAD said:


> I stack my cigars like jenga, this gets all of them humidified easily (it does take up a bit more space though)


I would like to do that, but doesn't that make access to individual sticks more difficult? I guess for long term storage that isn't a big issue? My concern would be that selecting a cigar would be exactly like that game.


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